Caffeine Fix and a Camera
by AnileinadAyala
Summary: Edward works in a coffee shop and likes to people watch while he works. Everyday at a certain time a certain girl comes in and captures his attention. Will he be brave enough to talk to her? What happens if he does? New story from a first-timer.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just trying out a story with them.**

**Author's note at the end.**

She always orders the same thing. Coffee with cream and sugar with a blueberry scone. She always comes in between 8:30 and 9 in the morning. She's always got her messenger bag and her camera bag. Around the time she shows up everyday, it's always relatively empty, so she always sits wherever there's a window.

I like watching people who come in here. Most people are in such a hurry that by the time they walk out the door, I feel tired from just watching them. Others are so mellow that I get bored watching them, sometimes sleepy even.

And then there's _her. _Her coffee cup always has a letter _B_ on it. I've gone through names in my head that start with B and none of them seem to fit. Of course, I could always be wrong, seeing as how I've never worked up the courage to talk to her, let alone ask her what her name is.

Today is no different. I heard her place her order and the cashier, my twin brother Jasper, called out her coffee order. I fix it up and, again, resist the urge to walk around the counter and deliver it to her personally. Which, if I really think about it, it's not really suggestive because, at the moment, there are only two other occupants in the coffee shop and both are working on their laptops.

But, like always, I chickened out and instead called out "I have a coffee for B." I saw her get up and walk towards the counter to get her drink.

She smiles and says "Thanks. You guys have the best coffee, I swear it's like a drug to me." This is the most she's ever said when she's here. I'm a little shocked, so I just raise an eyebrow slightly, hoping my face doesn't give away what I'm thinking.

Unfortunately, she misinterprets my silence and starts to backtrack by rambling, "Uh, I mean, that's not to say that I know what it's like to be on drugs. I mean, um, of course drugs are bad, it's what we're taught as kids, you know? 'Say no to drugs' and all that? Uh, thanks for the coffee."

I can't get a word in and by the time I process the fact that she stopped rambling, she had already gone back to her table.

_Ugh, way to go, Edward. Now she thinks you think she does drugs. Smooth, real smooth._

Before I can continue to scold myself mentally, I hear Jasper call my name. "Edward?"

I turn to look at my twin. I swear, had it not been for the fact that there is evidence on film of our birth, I never would have believed that Jasper was my twin brother. Where I have a mop of bronze-colored hair that sticks out every way possible, Jasper has gold, wavy locks that hang just above his eyebrows. Where I have jade-green colored eyes, he has ocean-blue colored eyes. Basically, we each inherited one side of our family. Jasper looks more like our dad, Carlisle, and I look more like our mom, Esme. Our only similarity is that fact that we both stand at 6'3", which is hilarious when it comes to Jasper's girlfriend, Alice.

Alice Hale is Jasper's long-term girlfriend and like a little sister to me. She has black, spiky hair that she styles to go every which way, soft, violet eyes that almost look like they could be contacts but aren't, and she stands at 4'11".

I was brought out of my inner monologue by Jasper calling my name again. "Edward! Dude, what's wrong with you? That poor girl looked like she was trying not to piss her pants when she was talking to you. What did you do?"

I blinked and replied, "I didn't do anything to her. She said our coffee was like a drug to her and I was just shocked that she was talking to me. She misunderstood my silence and before I could correct her, she sat back down."

He looked me in the eye to see if I was lying, but quickly figured out that I was telling the truth. "Alright, but maybe you should go apologize and explain to her what your silence _did _mean. Cool?"

I nodded, "Yeah, of course. I feel bad but she wouldn't let me get a word in. Can I take my break now and go talk to her?"

Jasper nodded and replied with a quick, "Sure, sure. Go for it." So I did. But, damn, was I nervous.

When I got to her table, I cleared my throat softly so I wouldn't startle her, and asked "Do you mind if I sit with you?" She stiffened slightly and turned around to face me. She nodded and replied with a soft "Sure."

I took the seat in front of her and stared down at my hands for a few seconds, trying to work up the nerve to look at her while I spoke. When I finally took in a small breath to speak, she broke the silence first by speaking softly, "Did you want to talk to me or just stare at your hands your whole break?" When I looked up, she had a small smile on her face, which in turn made me smile at her.

"Actually, I was trying to figure out how to properly apologize for earlier. I'm sorry if you thought I was judging you or anything when I didn't reply to your comment about the coffee. You just surprised me because that was the most I'd ever heard you speak here. You're always so quiet."

Those last two sentences were out of my mouth before I could stop them. _Oh, crap. I can't believe I just said that out loud. Where's the rewind button for life?_

She looked a little stunned at my words. But then she quickly composed herself and a small smirk appeared on her face, "So, do you watch me or something when I'm here?"

_Here's your chance, Edward. Man up and say it without sounding like a creepy stalker._

So I took another breath and let it out slowly before speaking, "The truth?" I looked at her to see her response. I was given a small nod.

I nodded, "The truth is that you're the only person who has ever caught my attention out of all the people that come here on a regular basis. You just seem different, in a good way," I assured her quickly, "And I can't help but notice you. The only problem is that I only know that your name starts with a B and that might not even be true."

I looked down at my hands after my confession so I wouldn't have to see the freaked out look on her face. She surprised me by placing one of her small hands over mine. I looked up in surprise and saw that she had a bigger smile on her face.

"That's not all that creepy, you know. I would have been more worried if you _didn't _work here and noticed me and watched me. Thanks for being honest with me," she said. I smiled at her and replied with a soft, "You're welcome."

With newfound courage, I held out my other hand for her to shake and said, "I'm Edward."

She gave a small laugh with her smile and took my hand, replying, "I'm Bella. It's nice to finally meet you, Edward."

My smile widened and I said, "It's nice to finally meet you, too, Bella."

**Author's note: This is my first attempt at a story, so please let me know what you think.** **I've had this saved for about 3 months on my laptop and decided to go with it. This might just be a short story, about 5 or 6 chapters, but please review and let me know what you think. It is even worth continuing or is it so bad that I should remove it and not even try?**

**Thank you! =]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.

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**After introducing ourselves, we both sat back in our chairs, more relaxed now that we had cleared the air.

I broke the comfortable silence after a moment. "So, why do you always bring a camera with you? It's just another thing about you that I couldn't help but notice," I smiled at her.

She gave me a small smile while a light blush made its way across her cheeks, "I never leave my house without it. You never know what you might see during the day that you want to remember." She looked down at her hands, which were still holding her now cooled coffee.

It was at this point that I really took in her appearance. I first noticed her hands, which were small but feminine. She had what looked like a scar on the top or her right hand. The small, dark patch stood out against her pale skin. I moved my eyes up to look at her face and was glad to see that she had returned to looking out the window.

_Yeah, wouldn't want to look lie a creep if you were caught staring at her, right? _Stupid inner monologue. Leave me alone to ogle in peace.

She had long, wavy brown hair. It looked like it easily fell to her waist. Her eyes were a lighter brown than her hair, almost hazel-colored.

I was, once again, brought out of my thoughts by someone yelling my name. Only this time it wasn't Jasper.

"Eddie! What's up, pretty boy?" I saw Bella jump slightly at the booming voice and gave her an apologetic smile. I turned in my seat and was greeted by the sight of Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice.

"Eddie boy, I'm hurt. Why aren't you showing me some guy love over here, bro?" Emmett started pouting like a kid who got his favorite toy taken away which, I'm assuming Bella saw as well because I heard her let out a small giggle that in turn made me smile.

The reason it was so funny to watch Emmett pout, is because of his physical appearance. He stands at about 6'4" and has the body of a well-built professional football player. He has short, curly brown hair and grey colored eyes.

"Emmett, I swear if you say the words 'guy love' again, I'm never letting you watch _Scrubs _again," Rosalie said.

Rosalie is Emmett's fiancée. I'm not going to lie, Rosalie is attractive and one of the few natural blondes I know, but I've never felt any romantic feelings for her. She's like a big sister to me. She was a swimsuit model before she met Emmett, so she has a nice body with natural curves. Basically, she has a _real _body. She stands at about 5'9" which is a big contrast to Alice, her little sister and Jasper's girlfriend. Unlike her little sister, Rosalie has long, straight blonde hair that goes to the middle of her back. But like Alice, she has violet colored eyes that look to cool to be real.

Alice spoke next, "Hi, Edward! Where's that big brother of yours?" I rolled my eyes at her and replied, "You know, he's only older than me by two minutes. But he's in the back doing some inventory, I think." She thanked me and dashed off like a woman on a mission.

I heard Bella clear her throat softly behind me, causing me to turn around and face her. She has a small smile on her face and was waiting patiently.

_Way to ignore her, Edward. First you insult her then you completely forget she's sitting right in front of you. _Remember that rewind button I asked for earlier? I would also like a mute button to go along with that, please.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I motioned for her to stand with me and when she did, I introduced her to Emmett and Rosalie. "Bella, this is Emmett McCarty and his fiancée –"

"Rosalie Hale," Bella softly interrupted me. She almost sounded as if she couldn't believe she was seeing someone. We all looked at her with slight confusion. Emmett was the first to recover, "Are you a fan of my Rose?"

Bella had a smug look on her face and replied, "Actually, I'm the one who kick started her modeling career."

Rosalie looked shocked at this before squinting her eyes at Bella like she was trying to figure out who she was. Rosalie obviously recognized her because she gasped, put one hand over her mouth, and her eyes went Bambi wide.

Then she slowly removed her hand from her mouth and whispered only two words, "Isabella Swan."

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**Author's note: Wow. Was not expecting people to like this so much. Only a small handful of reviews but I'm still happy. Thank you to all those who reviewed and added me to your favorite's/alerts.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.

* * *

**I stood still for a minute, trying to absorb what Rosalie had just said. _Isabella Swan. _As in the world famous photographer, Isabella Swan? That can't be right. Rose must have made a mistake, right?

_Oh, you're asking me? Well, how nice of you to include me in your everyday life. _Okay, seriously? I'm getting on my nerves.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked down at Bella. She was looking up at me, chewing on her lower lip nervously and wringing her hands together. I licked my lips while I was staring at her but quickly caught myself and asked, "You're Isabella Swan? The photographer?"

"Holy crap, I can't believe it's really you! I can't believe I'm seeing you again! This is fantastic!" Rose looked like a kid on Christmas morning. It was odd seeing Rosalie look so excited at just the sight of someone, let alone a woman.

_But this isn't just a woman, is it? This is Isabella Swan. She's an important woman. _I really think I need to consider therapy if this continues.

"My, my, Tiger Lily, how you've grown. I didn't think I'd ever see you in person again. Not that it's a bad thing, I _am _happy to see you," Bella replied to Rose. She stepped forward and extended her arms to hug Rosalie and I swear, I didn't think her smile could get any bigger. Rose ran from Emmett's side toward Bella and drew her into a bear hug that could rival one of Emmett's hugs. Bella looked so small next to Rose, but she was nowhere near Alice's height.

"I'm so happy to see you, Isabella," Rose softly spoke while hugging her. She pulled back and looked Bella straight in the eye and said, "I never got the opportunity to thank you for sending in those pictures of me. When I got a letter in the mail from the editor of _Vanity Fair, _I swear I almost passed out from shock. They sent me back the pictures that you sent them and said that they would love to have the chance to meet with me and hire me for some more photo shoots. Thank you so much."

Bella simply gave her a genuine smile and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to see that you didn't become a typical model. I'm also happy to see that you're engaged. Congratulations, Tiger Lily. You broke the mold."

Emmett spoke up this time, "I have a question. Why do you keep calling her 'Tiger Lily'?" I was about to ask the same thing myself.

Bella turned to Emmett after Rosalie released her and said, "It's simple, really. The day I took Rosalie's senior pictures and graduation pictures, she was so sure of herself and she had the fierceness of a tiger. As for 'Lily', I told the editor of _Vanity Fair _that if Rosalie did choose to be one of their exclusive models, to use the alias 'Tiger Lily' so that othermagazines wouldn't know her real name. I switched one flower for another. It worked for a while, didn't it?" She looked at Rose when she asked the last question.

Rose nodded her head, "Yep. _Vanity Fair _was the only magazine I worked for after graduation for about six years. They treated me like family, it was great."

Jasper's voice broke out, "Edward! I need you back here man, we're getting busy." I looked around at the same time the others did and, sure enough, there were more people standing around the coffee shop.

"Okay, I'll be right there, Jazz." I turned to look at Bella and when I caught her eye, I smiled, shrugged and said, "Well, Miss. Swan, the boss is calling me back to the sweatshop. I'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded her head and answered, "You'll definitely see me tomorrow. I'll be the one with the camera bag," she smiled at her last sentence.

I smiled back, waved at the three of them and went back behind the counter to start fixing drinks. I watched as Bella said good-bye to Rosalie and Emmett, wrote something down on a napkin and hand it to Rose. She read the napkin and smiled widely at Bella before nodding and hugging her again. Bella grabbed her stuff and walked towards the door. Before she walked out, she turned, saw me looking at her and smiled at me and gave me a small wave. I smiled and tilted my head in her direction and she walked out.

When Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie were leaving a couple of hours later, Rose walked up to me, gave me a hug and handed me a napkin. I looked down at the folded napkin then back up at her waiting for an explanation. The only one I got was "You're a smart boy, Eddie. Figure it out."

I groaned, "Please don't call me Eddie. You guys know I hate that." Emmett replied, "I know, which is why we do it. Purely for our own entertainment. So, see you later, _Eddie!_"

Once they walked out, I stared at the napkin in my hand before unfolding it. My eyes almost bugged out of my head when I read what was written on it.

_Just in case you don't want to wait to see me tomorrow, you can at least hear me later on today._

_-Bella_

_(656) 271-7512_

Wow. I think I've just been stupefied. _You think? Does it hurt? _Oh, you shut up.

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**Author's note: Thanks to all who have been adding me on your Favorite Author/ Story Alerts. **

**Before I forget, jm1708 brought up 2 questions:**

**1. Is Bella older than Edward?**

**-Yes, she is but only by one year. He is 25 and she is 26. I'll clear some of these things up in the next chapter, hopefully.**

**2. Does Edward only work at the coffee shop or does he own it?**

**-Jasper owns it, Edward just works there. That's all I'll give away. I'll reveal Edward's story in the next 2 chapters.  
**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end. Just a quick note, though. The **_italics_** in the middle section are Edward's flashback of high school.  
**

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God loves me. _No, He's just taking pity on you. _Now I really need to call my doctor and have him set up an appointment with someone. _I'll still be here. _I know.

I sighed. I was back at my apartment after helping Jasper close up for the night. I was currently sitting on my couch staring at the napkin Bella had Rose give me. I was chewing on the inside of my cheek debating on whether or not to call her. I doubt she would give me a fake phone number and humiliate me if she was planning on coming back to the coffee shop tomorrow morning. But then again, I've been wrong before.

_Too true, you have. Remember that one time in high school? That was embarrassing, wasn't it? _As if I needed reminding. Unfortunately, I remember all too well how embarrassing that high school moment was. Although, I wish it really did last only a moment and not two weeks.

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_**Age 16**_

_I was so freaking nervous, but that's normal, right? I mean, I was about to ask the most popular girl in school if she would go to the homecoming dance with me. I can't help but wonder if this will end well or not._

_It was lunchtime and I could see Tanya sitting at her table with the rest of her posse. Jasper kept throwing me weary glances until finally he sighed and said, "Edward, I don't know if this is such a good idea, bro. I mean, why do you even want to ask her to the dance? She's a stuff up brat and you know it." I ran my fingers thru my hair and replied, "Jazz, if I don't do this, I'll keep wondering 'what if' until graduation day, man. I have to do this. If she says no, so be it. But I have to at least try, right?" He sighed again and nodded his head, "Yeah I guess so." He looked over at Tanya's table then back at me, and with a grim smile on his face said, "Good luck."_

_I nodded in thanks and stood up to make my way over to her table. While I was walking, I was giving myself a pep talk in my head. 'Okay, Edward. If she says no, then that's the end of it. You won't keep wondering 'what if.' If she says yes, do NOT jump up and down like a girl.'_

_I finally reached the back of Tanya's chair. Her whole table got quiet and was staring up at me. Tanya finally turned around and made eye contact with me. She looked confused and asked, "What do you what?" I vaguely heard someone else ask, "More like 'who are you?'" I cleared my throat as quietly as possible and said, "I'm Edward Cullen. I'm in your English class, second period. Um, I just wanted to ask you if you would go to the homecoming dance with me?" Surprisingly enough, I got the whole thing out without squeaking. She stared at me for a minute before finally saying, "Sure. Why not?" I heard all the girls at the table gasp and say "Tanya! What the hell?" She waved her hand at them and grabbed her purse. She pulled out a marker and said, "Can you, like, give me your arm, yeah?" I pushed my sleeve up and gave her my left arm. She bent her head over her arm and started writing. When she put her head back up, she had a smirk on her face._

_I looked down at my arm and my whole face fell. _

_On my arm she had written the phone number 867-5309, as in the 80's song._

_I was mortified. Not only had I just been rejected, but when I looked up at her face, she just showed me the marker and I saw the word 'Sharpie.' I felt the color drain from my face._

_For the next two weeks in my gym class, anybody who knew that damn song would start singing it as soon as I was within earshot. Needless to say, I never asked a girl out in high school again._

* * *

I sighed. Then I stared back at the napkin in my hand and decided _to hell with it_ and call Bella.

I picked up my house phone and dialed her number. It rang three times before I heard someone pick up and say, "Isabella Swan." I let go of the breath I didn't even know I was holding. Then I replied, "Hey, Bella, it's Edward. From the coffee shop today." I almost smacked my forhead for that last sentence. _Yes, because she meets so many guys named 'Edward' in her daily schedule. _I'm ignoring you now.

"Oh, hey Edward! I was getting worried that you wouldn't call. I was starting to think that maybe I had been too forward with giving you my number," she said after a short pause. I shook my head then remembered that she couldn't see me and said, "No, you weren't being forward at all. I was actually really surprised that you would even _want _to give me your number but I was glad."

She chuckled, "Yes, well, rest assured that was the first, and hopefully last time that I will ever do something like that, I promise." I felt my eyebrows furrow and asked, "What do you mean?" She sighed and answered, "Well, I was actually wondering if you would be willing to be my date next week for the new art gallery that they're opening downtown. I'd really enjoy your company. That is, if you want to, I mean. I don't want you to feel like you have to just because I asked." I chuckled as a light bulb went off in my head and I decided to be brave, "I would love to be your date next week on one condition."

She sounded guarded as she replied, "Okay. What condition?" I smiled and said, "I want to take you out on a date sometime _before _the gallery opening. Would that be alright?"

There was a pregnant pause and I grew worried. Had I overstepped my boundaries? Did she only want me to go with her to the opening and never see me again? Before I could come up with anymore depressing thoughts, I heard her soft reply of, "I would love to go on a date with you, Edward."

I smiled so big, I'm surprised my face didn't crack in half. "Great so, is Friday okay with you? Say seven o'clock?" She replied, "That's perfect. Where should I meet you?" I shook my head and said, "No way. I'm picking you up. No reason for you to waste gas, right? Just give me your address and I'll pick you up at home that way you're not rushing trying to get anywhere." She gave me her address before saying, "I hate to end this, but I have to meet with a client tomorrow morning." I smiled, "It's okay, Bella. I understand."

I could hear a smile in her voice when she said, "Good night, Edward."

My smile grew wider and I Replied, "Sweet dreams, Bella."

After we hung up, I pumped my fist in the air and yelled into my empty apartment, "Yes! I have a date with Bella Swan!"

Then it hit me.

I have a date...with Isabella Swan.

Holy crap. _Crap is not holy, my friend. It is stinky. _I'm not even going to reply to that.

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**Author's note: Sorry if Edward's story was a little 'eh.'**

**Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to jm1708 for reviewing every chapter I've posted so far. I know it's not a lot, but I still smile when I get an e-mail saying I have a review. This is also dedicated to my best friend's mom, Constance, because it's her birthday today (11/06/2009).**

**Last thing, I have a lot of people who have added me to their alerts/favorites so, if you can, please leave me a review. It can be as short as 'I like it' or as long as a paragraph.**

**Thank you and until next time! [=  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.  
**

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After the initial shock wore off, the panic started to set in. Where should I take her? If I take her somewhere fancy, will she think that I'm trying too hard to impress her? If I take her to the movies, will she think it's unoriginal?

I did the only thing I could think of and called someone I trust. I'm going to miss my eardrums after this, aren't I? _Yes. Yes, you are._

"Hello?" I took a deep breath and said, "Alice, I need your help." I went on to explain everything to her in detail, at her demand, and when I was finished I sighed and asked, "Well? Do you think you can help me, Ali?"

I was right. I swear I felt my eardrums shatter from the pitch of her squeal. The girl sounds like a fire alarm going off. "Oh, Edward, of course I'll help you! Now, do you have an idea of what you want to do?" I ran my fingers thru my hair and said, "That's just it, Alice. Everything I think of feels so unoriginal and overdone that I'm running out of ideas here." She made a humming sound and asked, "Well, what have you come up with? I might be able to help you make it more original."

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought and replied, "So far, all I've been able to come up with is dinner at a nice restaurant or watching a movie and then taking her to dinner. The thing is, I don't want to come off as trying to show off with the fancy restaurant, but I don't want to come off as boring with dinner and a movie, either. What did you and Jasper do on your first date?" Alice giggled and said, "He took me miniature golfing. I was a little unsure of it at first, but then when he explained that at an arcade there's food and entertainment, as well as the freedom to speak as loud and as often as we wanted, I was excited by the time we got there. It was a lot of fun and the rest is history."

I couldn't help but smile. I never knew how my brother's first date with Alice went and I was happy to hear that it went well. "Do you think something like that could work? Not necessarily miniature golfing but maybe something like it?" She clicked her tongue and said, "Hang on. Let me think for a minute." She was quiet for a few moments before she exclaimed, "Oh, I got it! What about bowling? It's different for a first date, it's something fun, entertaining, there's food and you don't have to be quiet like you would be at the movies. What do you think, Edward?"

I thought it over for a few seconds before I said, "See? I knew calling you was the right thing to do, Ali. Thank you so much." She laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you like me enough to ask me for help with something like this." I smiled and replied, "Alice, I don't like you. You're like a little sister to me, I love you. You should know that, half pint." We both laughed at her nickname and when she recovered she said, "Yeah, I know. Anyway, call me and let me know how it goes, okay?" After promising to call her, we hung up.

That was Tuesday.

It was now early evening Friday and I was nervous. When I saw Bella on Wednesday morning, she asked me what she should wear for our date and I told her to dress in comfortable clothes. "Wait, you're not going to tell me what we're doing or where we're going?" she had asked. I smiled and shook my head, "Nope. That's all you're getting out of me. It's a surprise." She had a small frown on her face and said, "I hope you're not planning on spending a lot of money on me, Edward. It wouldn't be fair to you." I raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Bella, I will spend however much I choose to spend. Don't worry about it. I promise, I will spend no more than is absolutely necessary. Okay?" She pursed her lips in thought, then smiled and answered, "Okay. But no more than necessary. You already promised."

While I was in deep thought, Jasper's voice interrupted me from going further, "Edward. Why don't you go home and go get ready for your date? Don't worry about closing up." I looked over at him and said, "But who's going to help you? If you clean and close up by yourself, you'll get home late and I don't want Alice mad at either of us." From behind Jasper's smiling form I heard, "Alice won't be mad because Alice is here. Ta-da!" Alice jumped out from behind Jasper with her hands on her hips and posing like a superhero would. She laughed, relaxed from her pose and said, "Seriously, Edward. I was the one who insisted on you leaving early today, so don't worry about it. Besides, I know how everything works around here. So, shoo," she waved her hands at me and turned back to Jasper to ask for an apron. After giving her an apron, Jasper turned to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Edward, I know you're nervous, okay? It's perfectly normal, little brother. Tonight, though, just have fun with Bella and learn about each other. That's all a first date really is. Alright?" Looking at my brother, I realized that he always had a calming affect on me and I was very grateful for it at the moment. I nodded and said, "Thanks, Jazz. I'll see you tomorrow." With a goodbye to Alice, I made my way home to change.

I arrived at Bella's house at five minutes 'til seven. Her house was small, but really nice. I walked up her front steps and rang the doorbell. From inside I heard a muffled, "Just a minute!" Two seconds later the door opened to reveal a casually dressed Bella. However, just because she was dressed casually doesn't mean that she looked any less beautiful than she normally does. My only thought was 'holy shit, she looks amazing'. My second thought, brought to you in part by my inner monologue, was _Shut your mouth! Seriously, I think I see some drool there, smart one._

"Hi, Edward. Come on in, I still need to put some shoes on," Bella broke through my thoughts. "Just give me two seconds." With that she walked down the hallway to, I'm assuming her room, and shut the door. I looked around her living room and then heard a whine. I looked over to my right and saw a German Shepperd curled up on a dog bed. I squatted down where I was standing and held my hand out, palm down. "Hey, there." The dog got up, stretched and walked over to me to start sniffing my hand. Once it licked my hand, I knew the dog liked me.

"That's Moose." I jumped up from where I was squatting and turned to face Bella, who had a smile on her face. I looked back at the dog, then at Bella and asked, "So, Moose is a boy?" She nodded, "Yup. My sister's dog accidentally had a liter and when I went over to her house, Moose walked right up to me and started licking my face," she said with a laugh. I smiled at the sound of her laugh then asked, "Are you ready to go now?" She nodded, and with that, we were out her front door and walking to my car.

"So, will you please tell me where we're going now?" she asked when we got in the car. I looked over at her and she was biting her lip. I licked my lips, shook my head slightly and replied, "Fine. How do you feel about bowling?" I watched her face for her reactions and was pleased to see that a smile immediately showed up on her lips. "Seriously? Bowling? Wow, I haven't gone bowling since I was fourteen. I might need those bumper guards up next to the gutters, you know. I'll be a little rusty," she replied with a smile still present on her face.

I laughed and the said, "That's perfectly fine with me. Then we can both get a perfect score." On the ride to the bowling alley, we sat in comfortable silence. For some reason, there was no need to fill the silence with random talk, though I hoped once we got to the alley we would be just as comfortable talking. When I pulled up to the building, I got out before Bella and opened her door for her. When she got out of the car, she turned to me with a small smile and said, "Well, what do you know? I guess chivalry isn't dead after all." Once we entered the building, I walked up to the cashier and paid for what we needed. We got to our lane and changed our shoes before going to find bowling balls for us. We did have the bumpers put up to save ourselves the embarrassment and decided Bella should go first.

"So, Edward," Bella started after she bowled her first round. I turned to her and raised my eyebrow to acknowledge her. "I was just wondering...well, you know who I am and I'm assuming that means you know how old I am, right?" I nodded and replied, "Yeah, you're only 26. Why do you ask?" She shrugged one shoulder and said, "Well, I don't know how old _you_ are and I was just wondering about that, is all." She turned to look at me, raised her eyebrow and with a small smirk asked, "So, am I on a date with jail bait or a legal adult?" I laughed and replied, "I'm 25 years old. So is Jasper, my twin brother. You know, the blond guy whose always working at the cash register?" Her eyes got a little wide and she said, "I didn't know you were a twin. What else should I know about you before our date next week, Edward?"

I smiled and said, "Well, Miss. Swan, I do believe the reason for a first date is to learn about each other, so how about we play 20 questions and we learn a little more?" She smiled and nodded. I got up to bowl my first round, and when I was getting ready to bowl, I heard the one thing nobody had ever asked me.

"If you're 25, why do you work with your brother at a coffee shop?"

So glad I didn't drop the ball on my foot. _Yes, that would have sucked so much.

* * *

_**Author's note: Longest chapter I've written so far. So, I noticed that this is going to be longer that six chapters. I might even hit the double digits. I'm sorry if you expected a little more, but I kind of wanted to wait until the next chapter to explain Edward's story. I promise it will be worth the wait.**

**I'm posting this today but I had it written yesterday (11/07) on my birthday. My friends took me out and kept me out all night, so I posted today.**

**So, please review, guys. Let me know what you think. Thanks!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.  
**

_

* * *

Put the ball down slowly before you smash your toes, idiot. _For once, I actually listened to my 'voice'. I slowly let my arm fall to my side, and I could feel the weight of the bowling ball pulling on my hand. But then I realized that my hand was being tugged on.

"Edward? Edward, can you hear me? Please say something, or at least blink if you can hear me. Damn it, don't make me slap you," I heard a distant voice but complied and blinked. Once I blinked, I was brought out of my state of shock and realized that the distant voice was Bella.

I looked down at Bella and saw that she looked worried. I shook my head slightly and looked around the bowling alley. Bella grabbed my chin and gently turned my head back to face her, "Edward, you need to tell me if you're okay. Please, I need to know what just happened to you. You completely froze on me, what the hell?"

I kept staring at her, trying to come up with words to let her know that I was fine, but if she wanted the answer to her question, we would have to go somewhere else.

"I'm fine, Bella. But if you want me to answer your question, we need to go somewhere else," I answered. _Well, that wasn't so hard, now was it? _Not now, please.

Bella nodded, let go of my chin and said, "Okay, well, let's exchange our shoes and go somewhere." I nodded, placed my hand on the small of her back, and we made our way to the shoe counter. Once we exchanged our shoes, I led Bella out of the building and to my car.

When we were both in, I turned on the car and started driving towards my neighborhood. Bella was the first to break the silence.

"Edward? I know you're not kidnapping me or anything but, can you at least tell me where we're going?" I turned my head to look at her and saw that she was looking back at me with curious eyes. I gave her a small smile, turned back to face the road, and answered, "We're heading towards my neighborhood. There's a small park near my apartment that I like to go to when I want to think. Is that okay?"

I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "That's fine with me." We spent the rest of the ten minute ride in comfortable silence. When I saw the park, I pulled into the small parking lot and turned off the car. Bella and I got out of the car and I motioned her with my head to follow me. I led her over to the swings and sat down on one. When I saw she was still standing, I waved my hand at the swing next to mine and teased, "It's perfectly stable, you know. It won't break if you sit on it."

She gave me a mocking smile and sat on her swing. We sat there in silence for about ten minutes before Bella broke the silence by softly asking, "So, are you going to tell me why you froze on me at the bowling alley or are we just gonna sit here and remember the good ole days?" I turned my head to look at her and saw that she had a small, comforting smile on her face.

I gave her a weak smile and turned back to look straight ahead. I thought about her question, took a deep breath and replied, "I'll explain everything to you just let me collect my thoughts for a minute. Please?" She chuckled and said, "Edward, you don't have to ask my permission. I understand that this is something very personal, so don't worry about it."

I turned to her, rolled my eyes in a playful manner and chuckled. I stared straight ahead again and thought where I should start. _How about at the beginning? That's normally a good place to start. _Surprisingly enough, there was no sarcasm from my 'voice.' _Yeah, don't get too comfortable with that. _

I started talking, just letting the words flow from my mouth, "After I graduated high school, I went to NYU and declared my major in Criminal Justice. Once I graduated, I realized that I really wanted to be a cop. I wanted to help people and I figured, what better way to keep people safe than to become a cop? I enrolled in the police academy in New York and I become an official police officer when I was 21.

I was accepted into the NYPD right after I graduated from the academy and I had a partner to show me the ropes. His name was Jacob Black," I smiled a little, remembering how Jacob acted like a kid but was really ten years older than me.

"He was so much fun to be around but he was serious when he needed to be. I respected him like I respect my father. When I was 23, I had the choice to stay with a partner or go on patrol on my own. I decided to stay with Jacob as a partner and he was glad to still have me," I started getting a little chocked up because of what I was about to tell Bella.

I took a deep breath and kept going, "One night, we were on patrol and we got a call from dispatch asking if we could check out a house because there was a phone call from someone saying there neighbors were being too loud. So we headed over to the house, it was in a really nice neighborhood so we figured it was some teenagers having a party, but when we pulled up to the house, there were only two cars in front of the house. We walked up to the front door and Jacob knocked announcing who we were. We could hear arguing from the other side of the door and Jacob knocked again.

Nobody answered and he was about to knock one more time when we heard a woman scream. We pulled out our guns and Jake had me kick down the door. When we got in the house, the arguing and screaming stopped but we could hear someone crying. Jake motioned for me to go ahead of him and see how many people were there. I walked ahead of him and towards the end of the hall towards the crying. From behind me I could hear Jake requesting backup and giving our location. There was a bedroom door that was open and the light was on so I kind of peeked in and I could see a blond man standing over another guy with a gun in his hand. The guy he was standing over was on the floor holding a woman and it didn't look like she was moving.

I turned around to walk back towards Jake to tell him what I saw, but when I saw him, there was someone holding a knife to his throat and Jake had his hands raised but no gun," I stopped talking for a minute because of the lump in my throat. I blinked my tears back and started to talk again.

"I was about to tell the guy to drop the knife, but before I could he swiped the knife across Jake's throat and I fired my gun before I could react to anything else. I got a clean shot to the guy's forehead, but unfortunately, the sound of my gun going off caused the blond guy in the bedroom to come running out to see what was going on. When I turned around, it all felt like slow motion. I saw him raise his gun and point it at me so I raised mine. He managed to get a shot first and I thought he missed. I shot off a round and got him in one kneecap so he fell. I walked over to him and kicked his gun away from him.

Once I made sure he wasn't getting up, I ran over to Jake and tried to stop the bleeding. He managed to croak out, 'Make sure you tell my wife I love her. I'm proud of you, Ed.' That was the last thing he said to me. The backup that was requested finally showed up and they took the suspect into custody. Jake was put in a body bag, as was the female in the bedroom. Turns out it was a robbery gone wrong and when the couple came home they were attacked and the blond guy shot the wife.

I was taken to the hospital because I did get shot and I felt the pain once the adrenaline wore off. I gave my statement and all that jazz at the hospital and didn't say anything after that. Jake's wife, Vanessa, or Nessie as she was referred to, was told that her husband had been shot and killed on duty.

The day of Jake's funeral, Nessie asked me if I would sit with her and her daughter at the cemetery. I had yet to speak to anyone since that night and when everything was over, Nessie and I stayed behind. She turned to me and said, 'You know, he always talked about you like he was talking about his son. He was so proud of you and everything you did. I'm really glad he had you in those last moments, Edward. Thank you.' That was all it took to break me. I sobbed on Nessie's shoulder for what felt like a long time. Once I stopped, I turned to her and told her what Jake said to me right before he passed.

I resigned from the NYPD and came back here to Chicago. I still keep in touch with Nessie and her daughter Jasmine. I always send Jasmine a Christmas gift and I always get a handwritten letter as thanks. My parents knew everything that happened so they welcomed me back and comforted me as best they could. Jasper offered me a job at his shop and here I am now. On a date with a beautiful woman and telling her something that only my family and close friends know."

I turned to look at Bella and saw tears in her eyes. She sniffled a little and stood up off her swing. She walked over to me, squatted down in front of me and said, "I'm so sorry, Edward," and she leaned forward and hugged me. _This _is what needed that night, though I'm sure I would have rejected it.

_This feels nice. _Don't ruin this for me, please. _I was just going to say you were right. _About what? _I think God kind of likes you._

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry for the wait, guys. School has been kicking my ass and I needed to type this up but had no time**. **Shout out to my best friend Rey because her birthday was Tuesday (11/10), my cousin Nina whose birthday was Wednesday (11/11), and my cousin Damien who turned 16 on Tuesday (11/17). Congrats, all.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed and added me to their favorites/alerts. It means a lot that you guys like my little story. **

**As far as updating goes, I don't have a set schedule, but I'm shooting for once a week. Again, school is starting to wind down and teachers are starting to schedule more tests, so I ask that you please be patient with me.**

**One quick note, I have no idea if NYU has Criminal Justice as a major, but this is Fan_Fiction _for a reason, so forgive me if I'm wrong with my information.**

**Thank you, and please don't forget to review! [=  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.  
**

* * *

We stayed at the park for a while longer before Bella started to slightly shiver from the cool breeze that had started up.

I stood up from my swing and held my hand out for her to take. I helped her off her swing and just stood there looking at her.

She gave me a small smile and asked, "What?"

I shook my head and said, "Nothing."

She wasn't about to let me off the hook. She raised an eyebrow at me, tilted her head to the side and said, "Normally, I'd believe you…but after everything you just shared with me tonight, I don't."

I laughed at the fact that she could see right through me and call me on it without feeling shy, "Okay, you're right. It's not nothing but, it's nothing big or worrisome, okay?"

She nodded for me to continue so I did, "I'm just trying to grasp the fact that you're still here. After everything I told you tonight, you're still here."

Bella looked confused at my statement and asked, "Why wouldn't I be here? Did you really expect me to leave after you told me something that personal?"

I could feel a small blush make its way across my cheeks and I ducked my head in hopes that Bella wouldn't see it. No such luck. She lightly grasped my chin and moved my head up so that I would make eye contact with her.

"Edward, did you really think I would leave?" she asked.

Slightly ashamed, I nodded. She let go of my chin and it was at this point I noticed I was still holding her hand after helping her off her swing. I was looking down at our hands when I heard her release a small sigh. I looked up at her and saw that she looked a little unhappy.

_Great. Way to go, Edward. The first date you've had in years, with a girl you actually like, mind you, and you blow it. _Please shut up.

"Edward, I would never do that to anyone I know. Please don't think so little of me anymore, okay? I'm your friend and I want you to feel comfortable with me," Bella said.

I nodded, but then what she said finally sunk in. _Friend. _Crap. Friends don't go on dates. She only saw me as a friend. Bella must have seen the look on my face while I was thinking because she let go of my hand and help my face in between both of her hands. I moved my eyes down so that she wouldn't see them and feel bad.

"No, look at me, Edward," she demanded softly. I complied after a few seconds and moved my eyes up to look at her. "I only said friend because I didn't know which term was the right one," she blushed but continued, "I would like to be more than a friend to you, but I didn't know if that's what you wanted, too."

She let go of my face slowly but before her hands could drop completely, I grabbed them in both of mine. I kept eye contact with her and said, "I'd like that very much, Bella." I saw her face light up at my words and I couldn't help but smile at her. She stepped towards me and moved her face down a little. Her hair fell forward and I reacted before I could stop myself. I lifted my hand and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. The movement caused her to look up at me. She was biting her lip and her cheeks had the most enticing pink spread over them, I couldn't help but stare at her.

"It's not polite to stare, Edward," Bella said softly. I smiled and replied, "I know. But at the moment, I don't care."

I decided to lay it all on the line, "I'd like to think that I'm allowed to stare at my girlfriend all want." The biggest grin broke out on her face, I thought her face was going to split in two.

She chuckled, "Girlfriend, huh?" I nodded and said, "Yeah. Have you seen her? She's beautiful. She has long, dark brown hair, amazing hazel colored eyes, and the cutest blush I've ever seen." Bella full out laughed at my description of her and started shaking her head. I decided to keep playing my little game, "You haven't seen her? Damn, I should probably look for her, then. I don't want her mad at me because I decided to hang out with a beautiful girl. Bye, then."

At this point, Bella was laughing a little harder than before but she still managed to grab my wrist before I could actually walk off.

"Wait," gasp, "Edward, come back." I turned around with a smile on my face. The fact that I could make her laugh so much after such intense conversations was a good feeling.

"Yes, Bella? Was there something you needed?" I asked. She straightened herself out and nodded. She still had a smile on her face when she replied, "I need my boyfriend to give me a kiss before he goes anywhere. Can you help me out with that?"

I nodded and stepped closer to her. She stood on her tiptoes and moved closer, but before her lips met mine I said, "I can go find your boyfriend. He's probably around here somewhere."

Before I could move away she grabbed the front of my jacket in her little fists, pulled me forward and whispered, "Shut up and kiss me."

I smiled and whispered back, "Yes, ma'am."

So that's exactly what I did. I softly pressed my lips to hers and was pleasantly surprised to find them warm despite the coldness of the outdoors. The way our lips moved together was perfect. There was no rush and neither of us was running out of breath anytime soon.

_I'll stay in my room for this. I promise I won't ruin it for you. _Thank you. _But like Arnold, I'll be back...without the weird accent._

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait. Two words: _College Finals._ I have three more this week and then I have more free time to type up my chapters so, again, please be patient with me.**

**Huge thank you to everyone who added me to their favorites/alerts. It means a lot that you've taken an interest in my rinky-dink story. Also, thank you for sticking around.  
**

**Next chapter should be up sometime this week as well. Until next time. =]  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.  
**

_

* * *

Told you I'd be back. Let the poor girl breathe, man._

I did as I was "told" and pulled back, slowly and reluctantly. Apparently, my body has a mind of its own because I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of my arms was wrapped around Bella's waist and my other hand was tangled in her hair.

I opened my eyes to see Bella's face and gauge her reaction. Because apparently my eyelids have minds of their own as well.

Bella was smiling and still had her eyes closed when she said, "I've only been kissed twice before this but I don't think it really counts when you're eight years old."

She opened her eyes and when she saw me staring at her, that beautiful blush painted its way across her cheeks. She bit the corner of her lower lip and when she released it she asked, "I hope that by you not saying anything that means that I've rendered you speechless with my uber awesome kissing skills."

That did it.

I started laughing so hard that I wrapped both my arms around Bella's waist and pulled her close to me so that my forehead ended up on her shoulder.

_Keep it up, Chuckles. Then she's going to think you're laughing at her and that's sure to go over really well. Please note my heavy sarcasm._

Knowing that my inner monologue made _some _sense, I calmed down and picked my head up to look Bella in the eye.

I was happy to see that she had a smile on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Laughing at your girlfriend after you have your first kiss as a couple…not usually the response you expect," Bella teased.

I smiled at Bella and said, "I have little experience in the kissing department but that was the best kiss of my life. Hopefully there's more to come?" I asked in my most innocent voice.

She narrowed her eyes at me in a playful manner and said, "Hmm, I don't know. I'm not really sure I like that my boyfriend laughed at me after our first kiss. Kind of a blow to the ego, if you ask me."

I gave her a small pout and squeezed her while telling her, in my most childish voice, "Bella, I'm sowwy I laughed at you after our kiss. I pwomise not to do it ever again. Can I have another kiss, pwease?"

_I have no respect for you right now. _Shut up.

This time, Bella almost doubled over laughing. I was glad I was the reason for that beautiful smile on her face.

Once she calmed down she looked me in the eye and said, "Well, since you promised not to laugh again, I guess I can give you another kiss."

So that's exactly what she did.

*-*-*-*

We were in my car on our way back to Bella's house and she was holding with my hand in her lap asking me questions.

"So, Jasper is your twin but obviously you guys aren't identical. Any other siblings?"

I shook my head and said, "No, it's just the two of us. My mom had a difficult delivery with us because I was a surprise. Apparently whenever my mom had an ultrasound, only Jasper would show up on the screen. When she was giving birth, after Jasper was born, they had a hard time getting the bleeding to stop and then, lo and behold! There was another one," I laughed at the last part.

I could hear the sadness in Bella's voice when she replied, "I'm really sorry to hear that, Edward. But your mom is fine now, right?"

I nodded my head and replied, "Absolutely. The four of us are really close and Jasper and I had a really happy childhood. The sons of a doctor and a retired college professor."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella shift in her seat and turned to look at me, "So, who's who in your family? Who's the doctor and who's the retired professor?"

I smiled and said, "My mom is the retired college professor. She used to teach English but after we turned 10, she decided to be a full time stay-at-home mom. She always tells us she never regrets it." I heard the smile in Bella's voice when she asked, "And your dad? What kind of doctor is he?"

"My dad is a pediatrics doctor. He loves being around kids. He always tells me, 'I love the fact that kids are so honest about how they hate being in a hospital, but they always crack me up with their honesty. I love it.' I've always had a lot of respect for my dad," I said.

I pulled up to Bella's driveway, parked the car and turned it off. I turned in my seat to look at her and saw that she was staring at me. She blushed but kept eye contact. We smiled at each other and it was painfully obvious that neither of us wanted the night to end. I got out of the car and walked over to her side of the car and opened her door. She got out, took my hand and asked, "Will you walk me to the door?"

I nodded and closed the car door. When we reached her front door, she turned to me and said, "Okay, as pathetic as I'm going to sound, I don't want you to leave yet."

I chuckled and said, "I don't want to leave yet, either. How do we fix our dilemma?"

She bit her lip in thought and then replied, "Would you like to come in and keep going with the questions? I'll even let you interrogate me this time. I swear I won't ask any questions, I'll only answer them. Please?"

I wrapped my arms around her waist and said, "I would like nothing more than to interrogate you, Bella." She smiled and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

With that, we walked into her house and I closed the door behind me.

_Use protection, kiddos. _Shut up!

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello, reader. So, It's officially my Christmas break and that means more time to type up my hand-written chapters. Next chapter we'll hear Bella answering Edward's questions. Sorry if this was a little slow going. I guess this can be considered a small filler chapter. But at least we found out about Edward's family a little more, right?  
**

**A couple of things:  
-If you don't have me on a favorite but would like to know when a new chapter is up, you can follow me on Twitter at _shotheartstring_**_.  
_

**-I apologize if there are, or have been, any grammar problems in my story. This whole thing is being done without the help of a beta.**

**-Last, thank you to those who have added me to their favorites/alerts and who have reviewed. Those e-mails in my inbox make me smile like a kid at Christmas...how appropriate.**

**Until next chapter, which should be sometime this week. Happy reading.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All character's belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end...like always.  
**

* * *

We walked into Bella's house and she tossed her keys onto the table by the door. When the keys hit the table, I saw Moose's head shot up from where he was sleeping nearby.

"Make yourself comfortable, Edward. Would you like something to drink?" Bella asked. I said, "I wouldn't mind some water if you have some."

I took my jacket off and placed it on the back of her couch. I walked around to the front of the couch and sat down. A few seconds later I saw Moose walk over to me and sit in front of me.

"Hey there, boy. What are you doing over here?" I asked him.

_Fantastic. You're talking to a dog. I knew you'd go off the deep end soon enough. _Shut up.

Moose walked closer to me and he laid his head on my lap and gave a small whine. I scratched in between his ears and he gave another whine only this one sounded happier.

From behind me I heard Bella say, "You know, I've never seen him be so nice to anyone. He always barks or growls at someone if they get too close to the front door." She walked around the couch to stand in front of me and Moose and I looked up at her and said, "Well, you know they say that dogs can sense evil. Maybe I'm not evil."

Bella laughed, sat down on the couch next to me and asked, "Who says that? Moose, go lay on your bed, boy." Moose did as he was told and walked over to a different bed that was in the living room and laid down there. I chuckled at how well he listened to his "momma."

I turned to look at Bella again and saw that she had her head resting on the back of the couch and she had a smile on her face. I got brave and ran my fingers thru her hair. She made a humming sound and shifted her head so that she was resting on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and made sure to mind where my hand was place.

_Yes, it would show bad manners if you tried to cop a feel, wouldn't it? _Would you go away?

_...No._

I looked at a clock that Bella had mounted on her living room wall and saw that it was almost midnight and I started to feel bad for keeping Bella up so late. I voiced my thoughts to her.

"Bella, if you're tired I can go home and we can do this another night. I don't want to keep you up late if you have to work tomorrow," I whispered.

She chuckled and turned her head slightly so that she could see my face, "Edward, I told you outside that I don't want this night to end. I'm leaning on you with my eyes closed because I'm enjoying your smell. I don't even care how weird that sounds."

I chuckled with her this time and asked, "Well then, Ms. Swan, what do you say to getting this interrogation started? Are you conscious enough for it?" She nodded and straightened up. I immediately missed her warmth.

She turned on the couch and tucked one leg under her to sit facing me. She brushed her hair out of her face, smiled at me and said, "Alright, Mr. Cullen. Ask your questions."

So it began.

*-*-*-*

"Okay, I know your parents are still together and I know you're not an only child. But what I don't know is how many siblings you have and who they are and whatnot. So let's start there. Tell me about your siblings," I asked.

Bella smiled and answered, "Well, I have an older sister. Her name is Angela. She's twenty-eight years old and she is married to her high school sweetheart Ben Cheney. He's a really cool guy."

Bella paused for a second and I asked her, "Wait, Cheney? That name sounds so familiar. I've heard of him before."

Bella nodded and said, "I'm not surprised. Ben is an editor at Little, Brown publishing. He's made a name for himself. Angela is a college history professor. It was her favorite subject in school so when she went to college, she decided to get a degree in history and teaching. I always tell her that she basically decided to go to school forever," Bella giggled at her last sentence.

I chuckled with her and asked, "Any nieces or nephews yet?"

Bella smiled and said, "Yes, actually. I have a two year old niece and her name is Anna Leigh. She's the smartest two year old I have ever met, she's adorable."

I smiled and said, "I'm sure she is. I would love the chance to meet her, but we'll get there when we get there. Any other siblings?"

Bella nodded and replied, "Yeah, I have a younger brother. His name is James, he just turned twenty last month and he is currently in culinary school in Italy. We're all very proud of him for doing what he wants to do and for getting into such an amazing school. I miss him, though." Bella had a thoughtful look on her face when she spoke of her little brother and I knew she was thinking of how much she missed him.

I asked, "How long has he been in Italy?" Bella looked at me and replied, "He's been there for almost two years now. He was accepted after he turned eighteen and he's been there ever since. Like I said, we're proud, but it's hard not knowing where he is everyday. But this is his dream. Who are we to interfere with that?"

I nodded at her reasoning because I did understand. My parents never stopped Jasper or I from doing what we love. They always encouraged us to follow our dreams and so we did.

I was pulled out of my inner musings when I heard Bella trying to hide a big yawn. When I looked over at her, I realized how late it was and I felt bad.

"Please don't," Bella said. She looked at me, smiled and laid her head on my chest.

"Um, don't what?" I asked. She chuckled and I felt the vibrations of it on my chest. She raised her head, looked me in the eye and said, "Don't start feeling bad about keeping me up. It's my choice. Besides, I kinda like this new pillow of mine."

I could feel myself blushing when I replied, "Oh, really? So that's the only reason you want to be with me, huh? I'm a comfy pillow. I knew it." I chuckled at the end of my mini rant and she laughed with me. I kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair, "I really should go, Bella. I don't want you to be tired tomorrow at work." She sighed and nodded her head, albiet reluctantly.

We stood up from her couch and Moose decided to help Bella walk me to the door. I opened the door, walked over the threshold and turned to look at Bella. I smiled at her and said, "Good night, Bella. Get some sleep, okay?" She smiled and said, "I promise I will. Text me when you get home, please. I need to know that my boyfriend is safe."

I smiled and nodded. I squatted down to be eye level with Moose and scratched him between his ears, "See you later, boy." He licked my hand in response and I took that as a good thing. I stood up from squat position and took a step towards Bella. I saw her blush just before I touched her lips with mine. It was a short, sweet kiss because I knew that if I made it any longer, I wouldn't want to go home. I slowly pulled away and whispered, "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

*-*-*-*

I walked through my front door and realized that it felt really empty.

_That's because you miss Bella. _I really do. _What a wuss. _Shut the hell up.

I made my way to my bedroom and got ready for bed. Once I finished my nightly routine, I remembered that I had promised Bella I would text her when I got home. _Still a wuss. _Still not listening to you.

I grabbed my phone and sent Bella a text.

_Hey, sorry I didn't text sooner.  
I'm home and I''m all ready for bed._  
_Sweet dreams, sweetheart._

A few minutes later I got a response.

_Glad to hear you're still in one piece.  
I'll call you tomorrow after work.  
Sweet dreams, handsome._

Yeah, tonight was a good night. _I second the motion. _Shut up, already. _Then go to sleep._

* * *

**Author's note: Hello, reader. You can throw tomatoes at me now! I took forever, didn't I? Hope your holidays went well and Happy new year to all. So, there's chapter 9. Hope you liked it. Right now, I have more free time to type, yes, but I also have stuff to do at home and with family.**

**Again, you can follow me on Twitter, LiveJournal or Tumblr. **

**Twitter: _shotheatstring_**

**LiveJournal: _koahunani_**

**Tumblr: _shotheartstrings_  
**

**Until next chapter!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All belongs to S. Meyer. I'm just having a little bit of fun.**

**Author's note at the end.**

* * *

Bella did call me after work the next day. We ended up talking on the phone for a couple of hours, continuing our game of twenty questions, which we lost count of at about 50.

She also gave me information for the gallery opening that we were going to. When I asked her how I should go dressed, she simply stated "It's not a stuffy kind of opening. Go semi-formal."

During the week, she still came to the coffee shop and ordered what she always did. Though, she added something new to her routine. When I would call out her order, she would give me a kiss on the cheek before walking back to her table. At the end of every day, one of us would call the other and we would talk on the phone for a long time.

Now it was Friday afternoon and Jasper was, once again, telling me to go home to get ready for my date with Bella. Alice had decided to help out at the shop again claiming that it was extra time with her man and she loved it.

"Jas, are you sure you don't need me to stay?" I asked one more time.

Jasper sighed, "Ali, will you man the cash register for a minute? I need to speak with my little brother in private really quick."

"Again, you're only older than me by two flippin' minutes! You need to get over yourself, man," I said, annoyed by the fact that I was always referred to as the little brother.

_Well, you are. _Nobody asked you.

_...Rude! _Not listening. Too busy. _I'll get you, my pretty. _Ignoring you.

Jasper brought me out of my inner taunting.

"Edward, are you okay, man? I mean, it kind of feels like you're trying to stall for this date. What's going on?" Damn you for being so perceptive, Jasper.

I sighed, and figuring there was no way I could lie to Jasper, I said, "I'm nervous. I mean, what if I do something to embarrass myself, or worse, what if I embarrass Bella? I mean, I don't know how to act around these kinds of people. What if they're uptight, snooty and rude? I'm so out of my element here, Jas. How the hell am I suppose to act tonight?"

After my little mini-rant, the next thing I felt was a slap to the back of my head. It took me a second to register the fact that Jasper had just slapped me.

"Ow. That actually hurt. What the hell, did you really need to resort to violence?" I asked.

Jasper nodded and replied, "In this case, yes. You wanna know why? Because you're being ridiculous! Seriously, you need to stop freaking out. This is Bella we're talking about. I'm pretty sure she's not the type of person to hang around uptight, snooty, rude people. I'm absolutely, one hundred percent positive that if those types of people _were _going to be there tonight, she would have told you that she didn't want to go. Edward, the only person you need to worry about tonight beside yourself is Bella. It's that easy."

With that, Jasper walked out of the break room and headed towards the front of the shop. I took a minute to think over what he said. He's right. Bella would have said something sooner if that were the case. She also isn't the type to hang around those people, either. I mean, look at who she asked to be her date for the night.

_Yes, now if you're done with your drama queen antics, I think you should head home and get ready. _I checked my watch and realized that I had a little over two hours to get my self ready and pick up Bella at her house.

Grabbing my stuff, I went to the front of the shop, reached over the counter to slap Jasper upside the head, kiss Alice on the cheek, and say good night to the both of them.

"Glad you listened to Jas, Eddie!" Alice called on my way out.

I was to excited to yell at her for calling me Eddie.

*-*-*-*

I was sitting in my car in front of Bella's house trying to calm down. I wasn't nervous anymore, rather, I was acting like a kid who snorted too many Pixie Sticks.

_I have nothing to say to that. _That's a first. _I know. I'm worried; I might be losing my touch. _Thank goodness for that.

Once I was finally calm enough to walk without twitching, I made my way to Bella's front door. I rang the doorbell and faintly heard Bella yell, "It's unlocked, Edward! Come on inside!"

I turned the doorknob and walked into her house. After closing the door, I turned to my right, hoping to see Moose sleeping on his bed, but saw no sign of him. I decided to wait in Bella's living room and made my way over to her couch. Before I could sit down, though, I was attacked.

By a giant German Sheppard.

Like appearing out of thin air, Moose tackled me to the ground, which was easy seeing as I wasn't prepared for it, and then proceeded to lick my face.

I was laughing so hard that it was difficult to try and push him off of me. The next thing I heard was Bella gasp and yell, "Moose, no! Get off of Edward right now or you're sleeping outside tonight!"

That seemed to do the trick.

Moose ran off in some other direction, barking happily.

I was still too busy laughing while laying on the floor that I almost missed Bella trying to get my attention.

"Edward? Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I don't know what got into him," Bella apologized.

Once I got myself together, I sat up, ran my fingers through my hair and looked at Bella, "I'm okay. He did no real damage. Would you mind, though, if I used your bathroom to wash my face? I'd rather not smell like dog slobber for the rest of the night."

Bella giggled and said, "Yeah, it's down the hall, second door on your left." I got up and went to go wash off the smell of Moose.

When I got back to the living room, Bella was sitting on her couch with her camera in her hands, looking at pictures.

"Ready to go, beautiful?" I asked.

Bella turned around, smiled and said, "Yup. Just let me put this in my bag and we can get out of here."

When she stood up, I was not prepared for what I saw.

Bella was in a strapless, navy blue dress that hit just above her knees. There was a black sash going around the dress under her bust line that matched the thick high heel shoes she was wearing. Her jewelry didn't match her dress and yet, it seemed perfect for her. Around her neck she wore a necklace that was the shape of a camera on a silver chain. Her earrings were long, silver chains with teardrop stones at the ends. On her right ring finger, she had a gold ring in the shape of a wing. Finally, on her left wrist, she had three copper bracelets that were being held together by a thick copper heart. Her hair was styled in an elegant way that was pulled away from her face.

"Edward, are you okay?" Bella asked, unknowingly bringing me out of my stupor.

I closed my mouth, which I didn't even know was open, and answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Um, so, should we head out then?"

Bella smiled and nodded, "Yeah, let's get this part of the night over with." She grabbed her keys off the hook, grabbed a small purse and we walked out the door towards my car.

*-*-*-*

"So, I have to ask. What's the story behind the jewelry? I mean, don't most women like to match all their stuff when they go out?" I asked Bella once we were in the car.

She chuckled and said, "Well, they're what I call my 'Power Jewels.' Don't laugh but I actually have a very good reason for wearing these specific items."

I smiled at how cute she sounded and said, "Well, can I know what makes these things so special? What sets them apart from other pieces?"

She let out a small laugh and explained, "Okay, well the necklace was a gift from my dad, Charlie. He gave it to me after I had my very first picture published. The ring is from my mom, Renee. She liked to joke that I was always the best-behaved out of the three of us so she got me and angel wing ring. The earrings are from Angela. She said every woman needs a nice pair of fancy-shmancy earrings. The bracelet is from James. He liked to joke that I always wore my heart on my sleeve so he got me a bracelet to prove it. I wear these pieces because when I do, it feels like they're here with e even when they're not."

I felt bad that Bella never really got to see her family much, but I was glad that she could have some part of them with her.

We were quiet after that, the only background noise being the car engine and the radio playing softly. I left my left hand on the steering wheel and placed my right hand on the gear shift. A few minutes later I felt Bella's small hand make its way onto mine. I smiled and turned my hand over so that I could intertwine our fingers. I looked over at her and saw at she was staring at our hands, a soft smile on her face.

I chuckled and brought our hands up to my lips, kissing the back of hers. I placed our hands on my thigh and drove the rest of the way just like that.

Once we finally pulled up to the gallery, I got out of the car, handed my keys to the valet and helped Bella get out of the car. I took her camera bag in one hand and held her hand with my free one.

She turned to face me and said, "Well, here we go."

She looked nervous, so before she could walk off, I carefully placed her camera bag on the ground next to me, took her face between my hands and kissed her softly, but passionately. I was silently telling her not to worry, that I was here with her and she would be fine.

Once I pulled away, her cheeks were a little flushed and when she opened her eyes, she smiled at me and said, "Thank you. I needed that. Now, let's go inside and get the night over with, right?"

I chuckled, nodded and replied, "Right. You can do this." My smile got even bigger when she said, "No, Edward. _We _can do this. Together."

With that, I picked up her camera bag and we made out way inside the gallery.

* * *

**Author's note: Well...ta-da?**

**I have no answer except for writer's block. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to end this chapter. Shame on me.**

**Review, if you're still there.**

**Link for all of Bella's things on my profile.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Author's note at the end.**

* * *

Once Bella and I made our way into the gallery, I was surprised at how comfortable the environment felt. I didn't feel like I was suddenly put on the spot or like I was being judged. I felt like I was out with my girlfriend. Which was a pretty damn good feeling to have in the first place.

_That's nice. But can you please ask your girlfriend to let up a little on the ninja death grip she has your hand in? I'm turning blue here, man!_

It was at that point in time that I realized Bella really did have a death grip on my hand. I leaned close to her so that I could whisper in her ear, "Are you alright?"

She seemed to flinch a little when I asked my question, but was quick to nod her head and respond, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just always get so nervous at these things. I guess I forgot that I was holding your hand because normally I'll just squeeze the crap out of whatever bag I'm holding."

The fact that she was nervous was surprising to me. She always seemed so sure of herself, even in an awkward situation. Granted, I had only seen her in the coffee shop for little bits of time before I actually worked up the nerve to say something to her, but she always seemed to hold herself with a great sense of security. So much so that I often found myself being a little envious of her for it.

She let up on the grip she had but, before she could completely let go of my hand, I gave her a slight reassuring squeeze. She turned to look at me, but before she could say anything we heard a boisterous voice exclaim, "Isabella! You made it, my dear!"

Bella smiled and turned to face the owner of the voice. I followed in suit and was met face to face with a man who looked like he could be Emmett's dad due to the sheer size of him.

"Mr. Stanley. How are you, sir?" Bella asked. The man, Mr. Stanley, enveloped Bella in an Emmett sized bear hug and, as soon as he made physical contact with Bella, all I wanted to do was pull her away from him, hug her tightly to me and say "mine."

_Down, boy! We wouldn't want total strangers thinking that we're possessive, now do we? _No. _Good boy. _Please shut up for the rest of the night. _I'm not making any promises. _I figured.

"Isabella, how many times must I ask you to please call me Jack? The only people who call me Mr. Stanley are those who I'm not particularly fond of," the man laughed.

Bella let out a soft laugh and replied, "Well, how many times must I ask you to call me Bella? The only time I hear Isabella is when I'm in trouble with my mom and that hasn't happened in years." Now it was Mr. Stanley's turn to laugh, though his was a lot louder than Bella's had been.

"Right. Well, Bella, aren't you going to introduce me to this young man?" Mr. Stanley asked.

Bella's smile was radiant as she turned to me and spoke, "Absolutely. Jack, this is Edward Cullen. My boyfriend. Edward, this is Jack Stanley. He and his wife, Jessica, own this art gallery. It was Jessica who actually had my first picture published."

I noticed Jack puff out his chest slightly at the mention of his wife. I held my hand out for him to shake and was met with a firm handshake, to which I replied with, "It's an honor to meet one of the people who have helped Bella with her career, Mr. Stanley." I didn't want to call him Jack without getting his permission first, lest he feel a bit insulted.

He replied with, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet anyone who can make Bella smile this beautifully, Edward. And please, call me Jack. Please, make yourselves comfortable and explore the gallery. Jessica is around here somewhere so I'm sure she'll find you in no time. Enjoy yourselves."

With that, Bella and I were left to on our own. I took her hand in mine, kissed the back of her hand, and said, "Come one. I want you to show me your world, sweetheart."

The smile she gave me in response could rival the sun on a cloudy day.

She squeezed my hand and said, "Let's start in the back. I like to see the pictures of people who are just starting to get their toes wet in this industry."

I followed her to the back of the gallery willingly. The pictures that were there were mostly of landscapes. Sunsets, sunrises, forests, lakes and things of that common nature. As we made our way towards the middle of the gallery, Bella stopped to look at a few photographs of male models. Sadly, I thought she was checking them out in a wistful manner. But as I looked closer at her face, I noticed she actually seemed a bit disturbed. I couldn't resist asking, "Are you okay? You look like you just sucked on a lemon."

Bella snorted a little and looked around to see if anyone had heard her. When she turned back to me, she lightly smacked my arm and replied, "No, dweeb, I did not just suck on a lemon. I was actually looking at the name of the person who took these pictures. He's someone I've had the, um, pleasure of meeting." I couldn't help but chuckle at the way she had pronounced the word _pleasure._ It looked like it was the nicest possible word she could come up with to describe this person.

"And who, if you please, is the photographer?" I asked her. She looked at me with the most adorable scrunched up face and said, "His name is Shane. That's all he goes by. He thinks he's the Madonna of photography so he only uses his first name. I don't think I know his last name," she mused.

I was curious, "And you don't think he's as fantastic as he thinks he is?" The look on poor Bella's face was one of sheer horror.

"Oh, sweet misery, heck no. I mean, sure, he's gotten some really amazing shots but, honestly, I think those were just dumb luck. In reality, he is such a little drama queen. First off, he only ever wants to have male models for his photo shoots. Second, he gets uber bent out of shape if his models are ever five minutes late, and he doesn't consider half of what other _real _photographers do to be real art. He thinks all we do is point and shoot. Which, granted, sometimes it really is that easy for me, but that's because I've got something that he doesn't have and probably won't ever have," Bella finished her mini rant. Her face was a slight pink shade from the tiny tirade she had just had and it was something I found endearing.

Still, I had to find out, "What is it that he'll never have?" She looked up at me and gave me a small, and just slightly cocky, smile and replied, "Talent, kid. He'll never have my talent for seeing the natural beauty in things."

I couldn't help myself. I bent down to capture her lips with mine in a soft and Disney-esque kiss. I was still completely aware that we were in a very public place, surrounded by people who knew Bella and considered her to be an esteemed colleague.

When I pulled away, Bella's eyes were closed so I leaned in for one more quick peck. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave me a smile that made my heart stop and kick back up at three times its' normal beat.

_Aw, what a girl. _ Please, for the love of all that is good and adorable in this world, could you just shut up for the rest of the night? I'm begging you! _Eesh…alright, fine. I will leave you in peace until you guys get home._ Thank you. Thank you very much. _But don't get used to it, kid. I'm coming back. _Then I'll just avoid going home. _…well…oh, shut up and enjoy your night with your girl._

My girl. Damn straight.

* * *

**Author's note: There is no excuse. But here is Chapter 11. Probably not the best thing in the world but it came to me pretty easily. In the next chapter, I'm hoping to introduce Jessica. I'm not really sure how big her role is going to be but, just the same.**

**Feel free to review. I'll be back much sooner this time.**


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